WASHINGTON -- KARL-ANTHONY Towns had an event to attend at the French Embassy last week, a screening of a documentary about the life of Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Rudy Gobert. He preplanned his look: an all-black ensemble complete with a signature bucket hat for the occasion.

"I'd already packed for the trip before the game!" Towns explained to his agent, who could only smile and shake her head, as he got ready in a hotel suite a couple of blocks from the White House.

In stark white lettering, the hat featured his nickname -- "KAT" -- and the number "60" on it. The Wolves made the hats nearly two years ago to commemorate Towns scoring a then-franchise-record 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs.

At 7 feet tall with nearly 1,000 made 3-pointers in his career, Towns has a combination of size and skill that makes him one of the most prized players in the modern game. But he also has a goofy streak -- see his live streams playing video games -- that can be either endearing or annoying depending on your perspective.

In 2021, he drew quite a reaction when he declared himself the "greatest big-man shooter of all time." Two months later, he won the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, the first big man to do so. This can be seen as a shining example of backing up your words or an odd distinction for a player with a less-than-impressive playoff résumé.

When understanding the situation Towns and the Wolves are in now, it's helpful to keep two facts in mind.

First, the franchise has advanced past the first round of the playoffs once in its 34-year history. That happened 21 seasons ago, the same spring LeBron James won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2004.

Second, the Timberwolves have had seven All-Stars total in team history -- only three players have made more than one All-Star Game. Towns, who has also made two All-NBA teams, is one of them.

Towns is having an excellent season, with his scoring, rebounding and shooting all up from last season as he manages a vital role for the Timberwolves. He's a big reason the team is in an exciting and mildly bewildering position.

The Timberwolves have been at the top of the Western Conference standings all season, thanks to a dominating defensive mindset and the combined star power from Towns, Gobert and Anthony Edwards. They also have the distinction, with their ability to use a huge lineup, of being one of the few teams that has been a thorn in the side of the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

But the Wolves are dealing with a sobering reality: A franchise that has never had real championship expectations is suddenly dealing with a new world of scrutiny and pressure. And Towns represents the epitome of a team trying to harness its talent and turn it into meaningful winning.

Take Monday night, for example. It was a mundane-looking game when the schedule was released last August, but now the Wolves' visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder is for the top spot in the West. It comes after a 2-2 week brought Towns and his team an unexpected portion of drama.

Which is why the "KAT 60" hat was ironic. The night before, he put up a mesmerizing and record-smashing 44 points in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets in Minneapolis.

Already 7-for-7 on 3-pointers, Towns launched a near-30-footer for his eighth in a row as Hornets play-by-play announcer Eric Collins screamed "Noooooooooo!" as he watched it go through the net, an instant viral moment.

But less than two hours later, Wolves coach Chris Finch sat at a microphone in a quiet rage. Towns had topped his own franchise record, scoring 62 points, but there probably won't be any "KAT 62" hats in production.

"It was an absolute disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball," Finch said.

The Hornets, having entered the game with a 9-31 record, came back from 18 points down and outscored the Wolves 36-18 in the fourth quarter to pull a stunning upset. Towns, who had forced a few shots, was benched briefly in the fourth quarter. A night that looked like it was going to be historic had turned infamous.

"Oh, we got cussed out," Edwards said.

THE WOLVES WERE 30-13 at that moment and are still on pace to have their best regular season in two decades. For some players, the success isn't new -- Gobert and Mike Conley experienced it with the top-seeded Utah Jazz just two seasons ago. For everyone else, it's new ground.

But the novelty has dimmed. Finch, who has coached all over the basketball world, is very aware of it. He'd felt the team slipping over the previous few weeks -- the defense-first mindset, the offensive focus -- and it was already annoying him before he watched the team abandon its system in the collapse against Charlotte.

"I've said the same thing to the players [in the locker room], so saying it to the media wasn't to me, in my mind, any more egregious or damaging to their mindset than it was saying directly to them," Finch said two days after the loss to the Hornets.

"It's just right that it ended that way," Towns said. "Sometimes I can do all this amazing work and not end up getting the credit for it."

Towns recalled a game during his second season in November 2016. At the time he considered New York Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis, who had finished second to him for Rookie of the Year, a major rival. Highly motivated for the matchup, Towns put up a spectacular 47 points with 18 rebounds and 3 blocks, going right at Porzingis the entire night at Target Center.

"People were saying Porzingis was better and I was like, man, I'm going to go shut all this s--- up tonight," Towns said.

Then Carmelo Anthony hit a game winner with two seconds left.

"And it's always kind of gone that way for me," Towns said, pointing out that when he scored 60 to set the season high for points, it had lasted just one day. Kyrie Irving had 60 points the next night for the Brooklyn Nets.

While Towns reminisced, the NBA released its Last Two-Minute Report from the games of the night before. It noted that two shooting fouls on Towns were missed in the game's final five seconds alone. He should have gotten free throws (twice) for more points. The game could've gone to overtime, and the story could've been different.

"Yeah, but Joel [Embiid] had 70 [points] so it wouldn't have mattered."

Towns is probably right. Had it not been for Finch's rant, Towns' night likely would've been overshadowed by Embiid's brilliance that evening. Instead, he generated memes for his bad fourth quarter -- a fate worse than just being overshadowed.

If the Wolves are going to make something of this flame of excitement and avoid another false start, Towns is the transformational player who has to stitch things together.

This team has flourished on Finch's strategy to play with a big lineup and Wolves president Tim Connelly's aggressive moves. Since being hired in 2022, Connelly traded for Gobert and Conley, and it coincided with the rapid improvement of 2020 No. 1 overall pick Edwards, who could join the brief list of Wolves multiple-time All-Stars on Thursday when the 2024 reserves are announced.

This had the biggest effect on Towns. He has modified his game, moving from center to power forward and from No. 1 offensive option to No. 2 as Edwards has blossomed into the team's top player. Asking a player in his prime to do that isn't exactly simple.

"Getting KAT to understand he's no longer the fulcrum of everyone else's spacing -- he's got to actually space around other people -- I think that was an adjustment for him," Finch said. "KAT's willingness to accommodate these changes has been probably step No. 1 in all of it for us."

IF YOU WATCH the Wolves play, you will notice that Towns and Edwards frequently go into and out of timeouts talking to each other. They make sure to acknowledge each other on the court when they set each other up.

Edwards is one of the NBA's most exciting players, but he is still raw at 22 years old. He's almost as likely to shoot the Wolves out of a game as he is to win it for them. Against the Wizards last Wednesday, Edwards scored 15 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter to finish off a 118-107 victory. A night later in Brooklyn, Edwards missed his last 11 shots as Minnesota needed 10 points and seven rebounds in the fourth from Towns in a two-point win.

"I want to find ways to allow Ant to grow and to build his story and help him in his journey," Towns said. "I never wanted to be a bad vet. I've been told how many stories about bad vets to rookies and to young players. And I always wanted to be one of the successful stories that brought the best out of the young guy or helped him reach the potential that he has or possibly surpass it. And I think I've done a great job of supporting Ant."

Towns' close relationship with Kevin Garnett, with whom he played with as a rookie in 2015-16 (Garnett's final season), has given him the framework with which he wants to lead.

He has heard many stories about one of the biggest fails in Wolves history, the promising Garnett-Stephon Marbury duo that never launched when Marbury demanded a trade after less than three seasons.

"I'm not going to have that happen. I don't have an ego for all that," Towns said. "It's not more about relinquishing the role but sharing it, being able to walk hand in hand and foot by foot with each other and in this journey of possibly doing something special. He's the guard; he's going to have the ball."

Garnett's guidance is brought up often by Towns. And with the Wolves on the verge of finally being sold by longtime owner Glen Taylor to Marc Lore and partners including Alex Rodriguez, that influence might be drawing closer.

Assuming the transaction is finalized, there is a chance Garnett will take a role with the organization, sources told ESPN. He has been in a bitter dispute with Taylor and distant from the franchise in recent years.

"The better we get playing together, the better we're going to be offensively," Edwards said. "We're working hard on getting better at the two-man game. We're trying."

The issue? The two-man game isn't always working. The Wolves have been the league's top-ranked defense all season, with a huge part being Gobert's rim protection that has him on pace for his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award.

But they rank 19th on offense. And in fourth quarters when things get tight, they rank 27th. In a four-game stretch last week that included the Charlotte loss, the Timberwolves combined for just 75 points in fourth quarters, the lowest fourth-quarter output over four games for any team this season. On Saturday night, they were up 10 points going into the fourth quarter in San Antonio when unusually poor defense and turnovers led to another brutal collapse and loss to a bad team. Towns missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would've won the game.

This is one of the reasons Finch is harping on maturity. While it's good to see players cheering for their teammate when he's chasing a scoring record, they can't stop running the offense in the fourth quarter and lose focus on the game. Just like you can't punch a teammate, as Gobert did, which got him suspended for a play-in tournament game last season, or punch a wall out of frustration, as key wing defender Jaden McDaniels did the same night, which sidelined him for the playoffs with a broken hand.

But for a team with scant success, it can't be just about harping on the negative moments and worries. Towns represents that, as well. He's enjoying the season and trying to have fun. He decided to wear the "KAT 60" bucket hat to the game against the Wizards, too.

Any concern about the long-term future -- the Wolves are facing a financial conundrum for next season when new contracts for Edwards and McDaniels that could be worth nearly $400 million come on the books and Conley hits free agency, with the new owners' willingness to spend uncertain -- is being pushed off.

"The young guys I don't think truly understand the business so they don't think about it, and older guys are living in the moment," Towns said.

Does that make Towns unrealistic and too optimistic, or is he just trying to present a front? It might come down to your personal opinion of Towns. But there's no question he's having a fabulous season and his willingness to yield to Edwards probably hasn't gotten enough credit. Edwards is committed to working with him, and Gobert says he's content with Towns, making it a priority to get him the ball to help reward his defense.

It's hard to say whether all this will have a positive ending. But that's certainly in the cards as any possibility counts for progress when it comes to the Wolves. As for Towns, it seems he's trying to be earnest about it all.

"The winning helps. It's good when you're able to sacrifice to see the result you wanted and share the success," Towns said. "We're all making this happen. This is not just a singular effort. This is a team coming together and saying 'We really want to do something special.'"

BALTIMORE -- Left-hander Danny Coulombe and the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $2.3 million, one-year contract on Monday that avoided a salary arbitration hearing.

Baltimore has a $4 million option for 2025 with no buyout as part of the agreement, and the option price could escalate to $4,925,000 based on games pitched this year: $100,000 for 50, $50,000 for each game from 51-55, $55,000 apiece for 56-60 and $60,000 each for 61-65.

His agreement was at the midpoint of the $2.4 million he had asked for and the $2.2 million Baltimore had offered when the sides exchanged proposed arbitration salaries on Jan. 11.

Coulombe, 34, was 5-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 61 relief appearances last year, striking out 58 and walking 12 in 51 1/3 innings.

A veteran of parts of nine major league seasons, Coulombe has a 15-9 record with a 3.69 ERA in 254 relief appearances and one start for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2014-15), Oakland Athletics (2015-18), Minnesota Twins (2020-22) and Orioles.

Baltimore remains scheduled for hearings with right-hander Jacob Webb ($1 million vs. $925,000), outfielder Austin Hays ($6.3 million vs. $5.85 million) and first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn ($3.8 million vs. $3.2 million).

The Orioles previously reached agreements with outfielders Anthony Santander ($11.7 million) and Cedric Mullins ($6,325,000); first baseman Ryan Mountcastle ($4,137,000); left-handers John Means ($3,325,000), Cole Irvin ($2 million) and Cionel Pérez ($1.2 million); right-handers Tyler Wells ($1,962,500) and Dillon Tate ($1.5 million); and infielder Ramón Urías ($2.1 million).

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins says he should have few limitations in his first spring with his new team after missing the entire 2023 season with a torn left ACL.

"I'll be stoked to get on the field," Hoskins said Monday in a Zoom news conference after agreeing last week to a $34 million, two-year contract that includes an opt-out after this season. "I'm pretty bored as a competitor in not having played in so long."

Hoskins injured a knee in March 2023 while fielding a grounder in a spring training game with the Philadelphia Phillies -- the team he had spent his entire major league career with before joining the Brewers.

"There's definitely still some things that I've had to accomplish over the offseason just to progress with the rehab, but February 1st will be coming up right at about 10 months, 11 months [since the injury]," Hoskins said. "So that by the time I get to Arizona for spring, I'm sure I'll be eased back in because it's been a year or so since I've been on the field, but I really should have little to no limitations once we get there and once games start, which is just exciting for me."

Hoskins, who turns 31 on March 17, should fill a major void for the Brewers as a power-hitting first baseman. Hoskins batted .246 with a .332 on-base percentage, 30 homers and 79 RBI in 2022, which marked his fourth season with at least 27 homers.

He has a career average of .242 with a .353 on-base percentage, .492 slugging percentage, 148 homers and 405 RBI in 667 regular-season games. In nine career games at Milwaukee, Hoskins has batted .342 with a .405 on-base percentage, .790 slugging percentage, 5 homers and 8 RBI.

"Candidly, I wasn't sure we were going to be able to access a player like him," Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. "I couldn't be more excited to have this type of profile here because he fits so well. It's just the type of player we've needed."

Hoskins could get $16 million for one season or $48 million over three years as part of his contract. He will get a $12 million salary this year, and the contract includes an $18 million salary for 2025. If Hoskins opts out, he would receive a $4 million buyout payable on Feb. 1, 2026.

If Hoskins doesn't opt out, the deal includes an $18 million mutual option for 2026. If that option is declined, Hoskins would receive a $4 million buyout payable on Feb. 1, 2026.

The Brewers didn't get much production at first base last season as they won the NL Central despite having a .705 OPS that ranked 14th out of 15 NL teams, ahead of only the San Francisco Giants.

Rowdy Tellez hit 35 homers for the Brewers in 2022 but managed just 13 last year and got non-tendered before signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Carlos Santana, who had much of the playing time at first base for Milwaukee after being acquired at the trade deadline, remains a free agent.

The Brewers also added Jake Bauers, who batted .202 with a .279 on-base percentage, 12 homers and 30 RBI for the New York Yankees last season. But Hoskins figures to be the Brewers' main first baseman as they hope he maintains the production he provided the Phillies.

Hoskins was a fan favorite in Philadelphia who provided one of the most memorable moments of the Phillies' run to the 2022 World Series when he slammed his bat after hitting a three-run homer off Spencer Strider in Game 3 of their NL Division Series victory over the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies opted not to pursue a new deal with Hoskins after moving two-time MVP Bryce Harper from the outfield and making him their regular first baseman.

"I'll have very fond memories of my time in Philly and I'll be excited to go back whenever that is [June 3-5]," Hoskins said. "They were up-front with me at the start of the offseason, which I think was probably good for me emotionally, just being able to kind of get a little closure after a weird year and move on to whatever is next, which ended up I think being a great fit here in Milwaukee."

BOSTON -- Jimy Williams, the 1999 American League Manager of the Year for the Boston Red Sox who won 910 games over a dozen seasons that included stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros, has died. He was 80.

The Red Sox said Williams died Friday at AdventHealth North Pinellas Hospital in Tarpon Springs, Florida, after a brief illness. Williams lived in nearby Palm Harbor.

Williams was voted AL Manager of the Year after leading the Red Sox to their second straight playoff appearance. He said keeping calm in a clubhouse was easier than at home.

"I've got a wife and four kids. You want turmoil?" Williams said when he was hired to manage Boston in 1996. "You've got to talk. You can't choose up sides and say, 'Let's see who wins this battle.'"

An infielder, Williams was born James Francis Williams in Santa Maria, California, on Oct. 4, 1943. He was a 1961 graduate of Arroyo Grande High School and first spelled his name Jimy as a prank in high school.

Williams went to Fresno State, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1964 in agri-business. He played summer ball that year with the Alaska Goldpanners alongside Tom Seaver and Graig Nettles. Williams signed with Boston, played at Class A Iowa and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1965 Rule 5 draft.

Williams made his major league debut on April 26, 1966, striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers' Sandy Koufax in his first at-bat. His first hit was on May 7, an RBI single off the San Francisco Giants' Juan Marichal, like Koufax a future Hall of Famer.

"I can remember my first big league hit, but when you only get three you can remember them all," he told the Houston Chronicle.

Williams played in 14 major league games, going 3 for 13 (.231) with one RBI.

He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and spent 1968 at Triple-A Indianapolis, then was taken by Montreal Expos in the expansion draft and played for Triple-A Vancouver in 1969.

His playing career cut short by a shoulder injury, Williams became a manager for the California Angels at Class A Quad Cities of the Midwest League in 1974 and after six seasons managing in the minors became Bobby Mattick's third base coach with Toronto in 1980.

Bobby Cox took over as the Blue Jays' manager in 1982 and when Cox left in 1986 to become the Atlanta Braves' general manager, Williams replaced him in Toronto's dugout.

Toronto went 86-76 in his first season and had a 3-game AL East lead with seven games left in 1987 but went 0-7 and finished two games behind Detroit. The Blue Jays went 87-75 in 1988 and Williams was replaced by Cito Gaston after a 12-24 start in 1989. Williams had clashed several times with star George Bell, who didn't want to be a designated hitter.

Williams returned to the Braves as Cox's third base coach from 1991-96, memorably giving Sid Bream the green light for the pennant-winning run on Francisco Cabrera's single that beat Barry Bonds' throw from left field and won Game 7 of the 1992 NL Championship Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Williams replaced Kevin Kennedy as Boston's manager after the 1996 season. The Red Sox won 78 games in his first season and then had consecutive 90-win seasons. They rallied from a 0-2 deficit to beat Cleveland in a 1999 Division Series.

"I probably see life a lot differently than when I was with Toronto," he said after earning Manager of the Year, "maybe not so excitable, from a standpoint of having to say something all the time."

Boston won 85 games in 2000, and Williams was fired in August 2001 with the team at 65-53.

Williams was hired that fall by the Astros, and after two winning seasons he was fired with the Astros at 44-44 in 2004. He was terminated a day after fans at Minute Maid Park booed him when he was introduced as a coach at the All-Star Game.

Williams' managing record was 910-790.

He spent 2005 and '06 as a Tampa Bay roving instructor and was Charlie Manuel's bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 and '08, earning a World Series ring in his second season.

Sons Shawn and Brady both played in the minor leagues, and Brady Williams is the Rays' third base coach while Shawn Williams is a former minor league manager. In addition to his sons, Williams is survived by Peggy, his wife of 47 years; daughters Monica Farr and Jenna Williams; and eight grandchildren. Farr was an All-America swimmer at Texas A&M who won a pair of gold medals at the World University Games.

The Los Angeles Angels agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks on Monday, adding him to an outfield mix that includes Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell.

Hicks is still under the seven-year, $70 million contract he originally signed with the New York Yankees, which extends through the 2025 season. The deal pays Hicks $9.5 million in 2024 and $9.5 million in 2025 and includes a $1 million buyout for a club option in 2026. The Yankees are still responsible for all of it minus the major league minimum of $740,000 the Angels will pay him in 2024.

Hicks, 34, was released by the Yankees after slashing just .188/.263/.261 through the first two months of the 2023 season but improved dramatically upon joining the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, his slash line jumping to .275/.381/.425 over the remaining 65 games. Hicks' best stretch came from 2017 to 2020, during which he carried an .819 OPS while accumulating 60 home runs and 8.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement in 338 games.

Hicks is a switch-hitter who has played mostly center field, but he also has plenty of experience at both outfield corners. His addition could free up a path for the Angels to use one of their other outfielders to acquire a starting pitcher or an impact bat via trade, but he also serves as critical depth given the questions surrounding Adell's development.

Hicks' presence isn't expected to prompt Trout to move off center field.

"Mike's our center fielder," Angels general manager Perry Minasian said on a video conference with local reporters. "We've learned this over the last couple of years, at least since I've been here -- you need players that can play multiple positions. You don't know what's gonna happen. He's somebody that's played center; he played center last year for Baltimore in certain instances, obviously a very good team that made the playoffs. He can play right, he can play left, he can really throw, so he's somebody that can help us in a lot of different ways."

The belief Ireland had prior to losing their Rugby World Cup quarter-final to New Zealand has not "slipped away", insists scrum coach John Fogarty.

But as they prepare to begin their Six Nations defence against France, Fogarty says self-belief has not been affected by another painful World Cup exit.

"I don't think that belief hasn't slipped away," he said.

"That belief is 100% there in the squad. You can see it in mini-meetings, in unit meetings, how the players are interacting with each other.

"They're preparing to perform now. The learnings that we'll take with us are really important. The game [against New Zealand] fine margins, small margins, it's been said, it's not untrue."

Fogarty, who said Ireland have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the France match, added: "There were small margins, we need to make sure we're on the right side of those.

"What an opportunity now for this squad. Andy [Farrell] says 'go and make it happen'. There's a lot of belief in the squad, a lot of clarity and it's going to be difficult.

"Huge crowd, France at home in Marseille, it's incredibly exciting."

Ireland are entering a new era with Peter O'Mahony as captain following Johnny Sexton's retirement after the World Cup.

While the All Blacks defeat clearly devastated a much-hyped Irish side, Fogarty insists there is no need for a radical overhaul of ideas as they attempt to become the first side to win back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era.

"For us, it's building on what we've done over the last few months and couple of years," added Fogarty, who was speaking from Ireland's pre-tournament training base in Quinta do Lago in Portugal.

"You can call it what you want, that's what we're focusing on.

"We have a good body of work done, there's really good experience built into the squad, and there's been some tough days over the last number of years, and there's nice resilience built into the squad.

"We're going to build on top of what we've done, and it's unbelievably exciting to have our first game.

"What an opportunity to go and show what we can add a little bit different, or a little bit more, in Marseille with a packed crowd against a world-class side like France.

"It's a brilliant opportunity in front of us, we need to go and make it happen, make a performance happen for ourselves."

'The crowd is right there in your face'

Ireland will face France at Stade Velodrome in Marseille with Stade de France being given a facelift before Paris hosts the Olympic Games this summer.

And while the Irish have avoided a potentially painful return to the Paris venue, Robbie Henshaw admits Stade Velodrome - which staged two World Cup quarter-finals last year - can be "quite intimidating" for visiting players.

"It's an incredible stadium," said the 30-year-old centre, who played in Leinster's Champions Cup final defeat by La Rochelle at the Marseille venue in 2022.

"As opposed to playing in Stade de France, it's a tight stadium. It's obviously a football pitch and the crowd is right there in your face.

"It can be intimidating at times when the crowd are up so we got to experience that playing for Leinster a couple of seasons ago and it was different."

Three-cap British and Irish Lion Henshaw missed Ireland's thrilling win over France in Dublin last year because of injury.

He is one of four players - along with Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey and Bundee Aki - competing for the two starting midfield spots in the Irish team for Friday's game.

"It's great to have competition as a player," said Henshaw.

"That's what drives you on to keep trying to get the best out of yourself and the team. For me, it's doing my best on the training pitch and being confident that what I've done in the past 12 months with Leinster has put my hand up.

"I'm feeling good and confident. All the lads are competing for those centre jerseys so that definitely drives our performance."

NEW YORK -- Ben Simmons is set to return to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday after missing nearly three months because of a pinched nerve in his back.

Simmons has played in just six games this season, none since Nov. 6, and has missed the last 38. He practiced Saturday with the Nets' NBA G League affiliate and coach Jacque Vaughn said afterward there was a "high likelihood" that the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft would play Monday against Utah.

The Nets listed Simmons as probable to play in their injury report Sunday, then upgraded him to available Monday after he took part in their morning shootaround.

Simmons has dealt with back injuries since the Nets acquired him from Philadelphia nearly two years ago. The Nets originally thought his injury in November was in his left hip, before determining it was caused by an impingement in his lower back.

After missing 10 of Indiana's past 11 games with a hamstring injury, there's optimism that Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton will return to the lineup against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, sources told ESPN.

Haliburton suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain on Jan. 8 and returned for one game -- Pascal Siakam's debut in Portland on Jan. 19 -- before sitting out four more games with the injury.

Haliburton, selected as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, has had a spectacular season. He's averaging 23.6 points and a league-leading 12.6 assists this season.

Despite Haliburton's run of missed games, the Pacers (27-20) have won three straight and are sixth in the East.

Mikel Arteta dismissed speculation he could quit Arsenal for Barcelona at the end of the season as "totally fake news" and said he was "upset" by the reports.

Reports in Spain on Sunday said the 41-year-old coach was ready to succeed Xavi at Spotify Camp Nou, where he came through the club's fabled La Masia youth academy as a teenager.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Multiple sources told ESPN that Arteta remains fully committed to Arsenal, and he reflected that position ahead of his side's Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest.

"That's totally fake news," Arteta said in a news conference on Monday when asked if he would be leaving. "What you read yesterday is ... I don't know where it is coming from, and it is totally untrue. I am really upset about it.

"I could not believe [it]. I don't know where it is coming from and it has no source. It has got nothing, and I think we have to be very cautious when you talk about personal things to put it in the way it was put yesterday.

"I am in the right place. I am with the right people. I feel really good about it. As I said many times, I am invested in a beautiful journey with this football club, with these players, these staff, our people, and there is still a lot to do.

"I am really cautious when I talk publicly about my personal things, and when someone puts a statement saying something I said or did, it is upsetting.

"I understand we are in this industry, but the second one, I don't think anyone deserves to hear in news like that and I have always been really straight and always said the complete opposite; how happy I am, how grateful I am and how much I enjoy where I am now, that is why I am upset."

Sources told ESPN that Arsenal are relaxed about Arteta's commitment to the club despite not yet opening talks over an extension to his contract, which expires in summer 2025.

"This is something [a contract extension] that will happen naturally when it has to happen, and that is it," said Arteta, who has also been mooted as a possible successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Arteta spent three years as a coach under Guardiola prior to taking his first step into management with Arsenal in December 2019.

When the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder was pushed on whether he could ever manage another club in England, Arteta said: "Today, no. But I don't know. I played for two great clubs in this country. I moved around in different things. I am extremely young and I don't know what's going to happen."

Thomas Partey is still unavailable as he recovers from a hamstring injury, but Declan Rice and Gabriel hope to return from slight muscle strains sustained in Arsenal's previous game against Crystal Palace.

Picture the scene. Girona are one victory away from winning LaLiga and realising an incredible football fairytale by beating Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona to the title, just two years after promotion from the Segunda Division. But 1,000 miles away, Manchester City have just seen their Premier League title bid falter and the best they can achieve is second spot.

No big deal, right? You can't be champions every year, not even Pep Guardiola's dominant City team.

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But that hypothetical scenario has a strong chance of becoming a reality this season, with Girona top of LaLiga and City five points off top spot in the Premier League. The potential ramifications of that are why multi-club ownership has become such a big issue in football, prompting UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin to say last year that regulations surrounding club ownership must be "strict."

It is all about transparency and avoiding the prospect of two or more clubs being controlled by owners with a decisive influence over them. As such, the nightmare scenario for UEFA, and football itself, is the threat of Girona being directed to NOT win LaLiga by their owners in order to ensure that City don't miss out on a place in next season's Champions League.

It sounds a far-fetched notion, but under UEFA regulations (article 5.02, to be precise) no two teams from within the same ownership group can compete against one another.

Should two clubs from the same ownership group qualify for the same UEFA competition, the side which finishes highest in its domestic championship gets the place. If the two teams finish in the same position, the one with the highest club coefficient (City in this case) would be awarded qualification. But if Girona win LaLiga and City finish second in the Premier League, Girona would play in next season's Champions League and City would drop into the Europa League.

That reality is why a remarkable LaLiga triumph for Girona could be very bad news for Manchester City -- the satellite club potentially denying the senior team in the group the prestige and financial boost of playing in the Champions League.

There is no suggestion that Girona would be told to ease off in LaLiga simply to prevent City from missing out on a place in the Champions League, but it is the possibility of undue influence that is the issue.

Girona's club crest is proudly displayed on the wall of the City Football Academy -- Manchester City's training ground -- as one of the 13 clubs within the City Football Group (CFG), alongside others including New York City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos, Melbourne City, Palermo and, of course, reigning Premier League and Champions League winners Manchester City.

The links between City and Girona are strong and undeniable. In August 2017, the CFG acquired a 44.3% stake in Girona in an equal partnership with the Girona Football Group owned by Pere Guardiola, the brother of City manager Pep, who now holds the position of Girona chairman. CFG has since increased its stake to 47% while Pere Guardiola now owns 16%, with 35% owned by Marcelo Claure, the president of Bolivian team Club Bolivar, another of the 13 clubs within the CFG group.

In the seven seasons since joining the CFG, which describes itself as "the world's leading private owner and operator of football clubs, with total or partial ownership of thirteen clubs in major cities across the world," 15 players have moved directly from City to Girona, either on loan or permanent transfer. Meanwhile, Simon Cliff is listed on the CFG website as its general counsel, while Girona's website also declares him to be a member of its club board.

Close ties and ownership issues do not just hang over Manchester City and Girona. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's imminent arrival at Manchester United with a 25% stake in the club and full control over football operations means UEFA will have to act if United and Nice, also controlled by Ratcliffe's INEOS group, qualify for the same competition. Nice are second in Ligue 1 and on course for the Champions League, so United's poor season in the Premier League -- they sit in eighth position, 11 points adrift of a top-four spot -- might delay an awkward conversation in the INEOS boardroom for 12 months at least.

UEFA has found a way around such thorny issues in the past. RB Leipzig and FC Salzburg have been allowed to compete in the Champions League together since 2017, despite both being owned by the Red Bull Group. The RB in Leipzig's name now stands for "RasenBallsport." Salzburg have had to drop Red Bull from their name when competing in Europe as UEFA does not permit sponsors' names in its competitions but, more importantly, they changed the personnel on their board to demonstrate a clear separation in the control of them and Leipzig to ensure they satisfied UEFA's requirements.

And at the start of this season, UEFA's Club Financial Control Body accepted the admission to European competition of six clubs despite a potential conflict of interest due to shared ownership models involving Aston Villa and Vitoria Guimaraes, Brighton & Hove Albion and Union St-Gilloise, and AC Milan and Toulouse.

But with the links between City and Girona so clear and so strong, it seems inevitable that UEFA will have a decision to make this summer because both appear to be on course to comfortably secure Champions League qualification. And if Girona win LaLiga and City fail to retain their Premier League title, it could be the catalyst for significant changes in the rules and regulations governing multiclub ownership.